Fox's Warriors Challenge Book
by Crazy Fennec Fox
Summary: Current challenges: ["What's in a Name?" "First Adventure" "Mine" (WNAF)] [20 Love Stories" (Fernclan)]
1. What's in a Name?

**Word count: 563**

I know Bluestar wasn't thinking straight. Our once legendary leader hadn't been so for moons. But the name she gave me was cruel, and it has taken me seasons to fully and completely forgive her. "Lostface" she called me, a name referring to the part of me that has made kits squeal in fright and stomachs churn in disgust. It took Cloudtail, the most important cat in my life, to help me find meaning again. He saw past my mangled face to see who I really was, and taught me to see it as well.

Cloudtail taught me to fight with one eye, never letting me give up, but gave me the encouragement and determination I needed. He was never harsh, but didn't let me slack off either. To him, my face was never lost, so he refused to call me by the name Bluestar gave me. Instead, he asked Firestar to change it to Brightheart once he became leader.

I love kits, even more so since I lost my eye. They're so happy, and always bounce back with incredible vigor. It takes a lot to permanently break a kit; with enough care and love, they will almost always heal. Even kits are able to look past my scars to see who I am now, and I think it teaches them to not judge others by their appearances. But it still takes them time to do so, if not brought up seeing my face.

Kits are quick to learn, Cloudtail is blind to my scars, but everyone else feels the sickening, churning of disgust in their stomachs. Their insides wither and outsides flinch. I can not blame them; I too, jumped at the sight of my own face.

Even my friends and family flinched when they first saw me with my scars. In those first few months, I felt worthy of the name Lostface, and hated myself for it. I wanted to be happy and shrug the incident off, but I was reminded of it every time I stumbled, or someone called me by that horrid name. If Firestar had not agreed to change it, I would forever be reminded of the day Swiftpaw died and I lost my eye, every time my name was spoken.

Firestar was kind to me. He saw how much Cloudtail loved and respected me, and honored that. He was fair, and didn't hesitate to let me return to my duties as a Thunderclan warrior once he saw that I was capable. He even gave me an apprentice, but once Jayfeather became a medicine cat, I didn't get another. I understand, but I still wish I had the chance of mentoring another apprentice. Jayfeather was a difficult apprentice, and I know he resented the pity I felt toward him. He thinks he hides his emotions so well, yet I knew how he felt. He felt frustrated that he couldn't ever become a proper warrior, and sad that no one would ever respect him, even if he was made a warrior.

I knew how he felt because I felt that way. But Cloudtail was like the moon at night; he gave me another destiny, and I knew that no matter what I looked like, I would be all right. As long as Cloudtail loved me, I was no longer Lostface, but Brightheart.

 **AN: I know this isn't about the name, and more about how she dealt with her mangled face, but I thought it still fit. And the last two lines is a quote from _Secrets of the Clans,_ page 14, so don't kill me please. **


	2. First Adventure

**Challenge Name: First Adventure**

 **Word Count: 514**

"Be careful, stay in the clearing, and _keep out of trouble_!" Pinekit's mother called from the nursery. But the black tortoiseshell was too busy looking for good places to build a fort to listen.

 _Thump!_ Pinekit jumped as a mountain of wet snow fell from an overhead pine branch. Startled, she looked around to make sure she didn't walk under any more branches balanced precariously with snow. It was nearing the end of leafbare, the hardest one in living memory, according to her mother. Both Pinekit's siblings had died, and left Pinekit small for her age. But these events hadn't quenched her spirit. On the contrary, it made her even more mischievous and determined to get into trouble.

Finally, Pinekit found it, the perfect place for a fort: a towering pile of dead animals. The clearing was empty, save for Pinekit as she began building. First she organized the freshkill by how frozen it was. There was the ice prey, the snow prey, and the soft prey. She began by piling the ice prey on the bottom, leaving a large cavity underneath, but was then faced with the problem of moving the rest of the freshkill on the top.

"What are you doing?" Pinekit scrambled to her feet, having taken a break, and stared at the speaker. It was Pepperkit, and he seemed genuinely curious and eager to help.

"Making a fort," she responded proudly. "You wanna help?"

The ginger tom nodded enthusiastically. Pinekit looked him over, noticing his superior size and deeming him an acceptable ally.

"Well, we need to put these pieces of freshkill on top of those," Pinekit directed. Pepperkit nodded and, with surprising delicacy, took the soft prey and layed it on the ice prey. When he finished, Pinekit did a happy bounce. "Now I'll go and start digging underneath!"

Carefully, Pinekit scraped away the snow, avoiding the edges. Once it was big enough for both of them, she turned to crawl back out, but knocked out a couple supporting pieces of prey in the process. Down the entire pile went, with Pinekit still inside.

Outside, Pepperkit was panicking. "Pinekit!" he yowled, frantically trying to dig her out. Amberflame poked her head out of the nursery, hearing Pepperkit's yell. She took one glance at the freshkill pile and ran to save her kit.

With a sweep of her black paw, Amberflame scattered the prey, pouncing on her kit as soon as she caught the sight of Pinekit's tortoiseshell fur. She gently set Pinekit down, anxiously watching her struggle to breathe.

"Excuse me," Willowmoon said briskly, setting a bundle of herbs down. "She'll be fine, but she needs to rest. I'm giving her some herbs to calm her, but you're going to need to give her a poppy seed once she's feeling a little better."

Amberflame nodded and took the little black seed. She shook her head, amazed at how eventful her daughter's first day out of the nursery was. Already Pinekit was showing promise of a difficult kit.

 **I know Pinekit seems very advance for her age, but she got whitecough as a kit, leaving her small and without a normal kithood.**


	3. Mine

**Challenge Name: Mine**

 **Word Count: 615**

 **Forum: Warriors Now & Forever**

Mapleshade felt a surge of triumph fueled by her hatred. The time was coming when Appledusk's desendant would suffer a life miserable as hers, and she couldn't wait. She hissed in anticipation as she watched Stormkit near the river and fall in, thrashing like a fox in a fit. Willing herself to desend into his mind, she told him it wasn't his time to die.

 _His time to die, ha!_ Mapleshade thought scornfully when she was back in the Dark Forest. _That kit doesn't have an inkling of what's going to happen to him._ She purred, liking the thought of all the misery she would cause him.

* * *

 _Stupid kit,_ Mapleshade thought gleefully. _Do I_ look _like a StarClan cat, with stars in my fur and a twinkle in my eye?_ She had just gotten back from her first training session with Crookedpaw, and she was very pleased with how things were turning out. _Was it worth it, Appledusk? Was it worth abandoning me and our kits? Because I will never forget. Never._

Mapleshade's good mood was soured by the thought of her former mate, but once she began plotting again, she started to feel very happy indeed.

* * *

Hatred and jealousy threatened to engulf Mapleshade as she stared down at Crookedpaw and his _friend_ Willowpaw and the close bond they shared. _How_ dare _he fall in love!_ she seethed. _I ought to flay him alive! The rat!_

That evening, Mapleshade rebuked Crookedpaw about his relationship will Willowpaw. "Don't forget what you promised," she warned. "Put your clan first. Always." But Crookedpaw didn't take well to that, and continued to be _friends_ with Willowpaw. But before Mapleshade confronted him again, she realized that Willowpaw's _friendship_ may be an advantage in the future, and stopped antagonizing over it. Instead, she secretly encouraged it, thinking, _the higher he climbs, the farther he has to fall_.

* * *

Mapleshade took her time picking out which piece of prey to mutilate. She eventually settled on a squirrel, and disfigured its jaw with a couple quick, clean strokes of her carefully sharpened claws. Placing it on RiverClan's fresh-kill pile, she waited patiently for Hailstar _, the old fool,_ to come to her intended conclusion.

Idly, Mapleshade sat back cleaned her claws, glancing around the camp. Memories, none good, came floating back. The worst one came to mind, not leaving no matter how hard Mapleshade tried to push it out of her mind. It was of Appledusk and Reedshine…together. Mapleshade had just lost her kits, been driven out of ThunderClan, and nearly drowned. She had expected to be warmly greeted by Appledusk, even supported when RiverClan advocated for her to leave. But no, Appledusk had Reedshine, the she-cat who stole her mate.

Determination to cause Crookedjaw as much pain and suffering nearly overwhelmed her. Hatred at Appledusk and Reedshine made her want to scream.

 _So this is what being mad feels like,_ the sole sane part of Mapleshade's mind thought. _Hatred, hatred, and more hatred. But incredibly serene too. At least in here. It's like a thunderstorm out there, and definitely a place I don't plan on visiting any time_ soon.

* * *

 _He has lost everything,_ Mapleshade thought, feeling satisfied _. His mate, his mother, his father, and all three of his kits are dead. His life is ruined._ She looked at Crookedstar, bent over his dead daughter. In her twisted mind, her revenge was complete, though she wouldn't say no to killing Appledusk and Reedshine a second time.

But as she saw Silverstream's kits, she felt old hatred rise up.


	4. 20 Love Stories

**Word Count: 404**

Hollyleaf purred in amusement as she watched Snowkit run off to play with Larchkit and Mosskit. They were playing warriors, and acted in every way living kits would. She felt a pang of sadness, remembering her own warrior ceremony with Lionblaze. The secret of their parentage wasn't out then, and she still loved Squirrelflight as her mother. Hollyleaf wished they had more time to form the mother-daughter bond she had broken. She wished she could have seen Fallen Leaves again. What she felt toward him wasn't like the crush she had on Mousewhisker, or the gentleness she felt toward kits; it was something Hollyleaf denied again and again. Love.

But she was in StarClan, and he was where? The Tribe of Endless Hunting? The tunnels in which they met? Hollyleaf made up her mind, she was going to find him, however long it was going to take. What was the point of StarClan if it didn't let you reflect on your regrets? Hollyleaf was just going to take it one step further.

Hollyleaf peered into the Seeing Pool, thinking of Fallen Leaves. Excited, she sat back and waited for it to find him. After it stopped, Hollyleaf took one glance and knew exactly where to go.

"Fallen Leaves?" Hollyleaf's voice echoed and then faded without a reply. Every rock wall was teeming with memories, not all bad. She saw where she fell, where Fallen Leaves first appeared to her, and the nest Fallen Leaves made for her.

She finally found him at the river, where he was staring at the tumbling black waters in which he taught her to fish. His ginger tail swished back and forth over the cold rock surface.

"Fallen Leaves?" Hollyleaf asked, resisting the urge to rush over and great him.

He jumped, nearly falling into the water. "Hollyleaf! What are you doing here?"

"You said I would see you again," Hollyleaf remembered.

He nodded, looking apologetic, "I'm sorry. I tried." Fallen Leaves approached her slowly, as he didn't know how they stood.

Hollyleaf leaned forward and touched noses with him. "I know," she said, her heart speeding up.

A purr rose up in Fallen Leaves chest, prompting one in in Hollyleaf's. She didn't know how long they stood there, purring and talking, telling each other what had happened in the other's absence, but Hollyleaf didn't care. She was reunited with Fallen Leaves, and that was all she cared about.

 **AN: I know, the ending is really cliche. But I'm bad at endings! That's why I never finish anything. Nah, that's not the reason. It's just what I tell myself.**


End file.
